Current cleaning devices for floors and other surfaces, such as mops, generally require the use of a bucket of cleaning fluid for soaking and rinsing a mop head. The mop head usually is comprised of fluid absorbing strands or a sponge type material. The typical mop includes a long rod-shaped handle that is used to push or pull the mop head along a floor by a standing person. Although cleaning a floor with a mop is efficient for large surfaces, the procedure of filling a bucket with diluted cleaning solvent, soaking a mop head in the bucket and wiping the floor with the mop head can be very time consuming. Additional time is required to dump the bucket of dirty water and to rinse the mop before the mop can be stored away. When only a small spill or stain needs to be cleaned, the mopping process is not very efficient. Typically such small spills or stains are cleaned with a rag or paper towel. However, using a rag or paper towel also requires wetting the rag with water or other cleaning fluid from a faucet or bucket. When the fluid in the rag has been consumed, the rag must be re-soaked. To eliminate the need for a bucket of cleaning fluid or to avoid repeatedly going to a faucet to wet down a rag, a spray bottle containing a cleaning fluid is typically used to directly soak the area to be cleaned before wiping with a rag.
Like a bucket, a spray bottle allows a person to clean an area that is not conveniently located near a fluid source such as a faucet. However as with mopping, two elements must be acquired (a spray bottle and a rag) before an area can be cleaned. Further as with many household items, a spray bottle may not be located anywhere near a clean rag, which requires a person to search for both items before a spill can be cleaned.
Mops as well as cloth rags are reusable. Paper towels on the other hand are discarded and are not reused. Although paper towels are very inexpensive by the sheet, continuous use of paper towels over time for cleaning surfaces does require purchasing a constant supply. In the long run paper towels can be more expensive when compared to reusable rags. However, for many people the additional cost of paper towels is justified by eliminating the extra time that is required to rinse out and hang dry a wet towel before it can stored away.
Consequently there exists a need for a device that is easier to use than a mop and bucket for cleaning small surfaces. There fuarther exists a need for a cleaning device that does not require the repeated wetting of a rag or paper towel in a bucket or at a faucet. There further exists a need for a cleaning device that does not require a surface to be pre-sprayed with a bottle of cleaning fluid. There further exists a need for a cleaning device that is reusable. There also exists a need for a cleaning device that is easily cleaned and easily stored away.